CARRIER AND/OR CONNECTOR FOR A SERIES OF PACKAGES

Abstract: A carrying and/or uniting device (1), designed for mainly parallelepiped-shaped packages (4), having outer fastening tapes (8), provided with glue and designed to fasten the device onto a set of packages (49). The device is subdivided into a plurality of longitudinal or horizontal sections (12, 14), which are separated from each other by means of folding indications, designed as perforations or the like and/or tearing-off tapes or the like (11, 16, 18). At least one of these sections is provided with one or several recesses (13) with a carrying and/or information function. The device is close to the tearing-off indication provided with transverse perforations (9) for dividing up and consequently detaching separate packages from a set of packages, which are united by a device. In accordance with the invention the applied device with the carrying function has a rhomboidal open shape. In order to make it less bulky and/or for other reasons the applied device can be folded up on itself with its four central sections (12, 14), which in their folded up condition contact each other or almost, at the same time as the total height of the device is reduced.

Description: CARRIER AND/OR CONNECTOR FOR A SERIES OF PACKAGES The present invention concerns a carrier and/or connector for a series of packages, e.g. milk, juice and the like. During filling, handling and storage it is often advan¬ tageous to be able to handle a set of packages as a unit, time, spillage, costs etc. being saved in this way. This is true for the manufacturers, the distributors and the consumers of the marketed product. Also, it is an advan¬ tage, if such packages can be seized and carried in a way, which is simple, secure and advantageous for the rest, no expensive and complicated means being required for this purpose. Finally, it is an advantage, if one unit comprising several separate united packages at any time can be subdivided in an easy and simple fashion, by what means it will always be feasible to select and detach an arbitrary small number of packages from such a multiple unit. Also, the attachment of such devices to one or se¬ veral packages has so for resulted in problems of various types. In order to be easy to be siezed a carrying and/cr uniting device ought to protrude quite much from the corresponding packages. However, this has so far rendered storage, paricularly stacking, transportation and hand¬ ling for the rest more difficult. To the extent that de¬ vices of this type already are known,they_are_impaired__by at least some of the above-mentioned deficiences. Known technique > ι in this field is described in EP-A-2 060 504, US-A-3 221 875, GB-A-2 170 470, NO-B-154 263 and US-A-4 946 037, EP-A-2 060 504 being considered represen¬ ting the state of the art the best. However, the handles according to this pulication> require, provided a lateral handle positioning is not selected, which is disadvanta¬ geous because of bad carrying characteristics, a set of packages also in the transverse direction, between which lateral packages a V-shaped element must be introduced and glued onto package sides facing each other. The hand¬ les themselves have rather weak base sections and cannot be regarded as being easy to seize due to their flat shape with minor holes, through which individual fing¬ ers are to be introduced . Also, it may be difficult and time-consuming for persons who are not very deft with their fingers to lift the handles out of their adjacent cut out contour, where glue spillage below the handle portions may cause additional problems. The object of the present invention,is.to provide a carry¬ ing and/or uniting device, designed for a set of packa¬ ges, which device removes all the above-mentioned defici- ences and results in all the desired advantages combined. The device is to be designed to meet ergonomical require¬ ments and not only allow stacking of package sets provi¬ ded with such devices on top of each other but facilitate such stacking and make the stacking promote the conti¬ nued handling. This object is attained according to the present inven¬ tion by means of a carrying and/or uniting device of the type described in the introduction, which mainly is de¬ signed according to the characterizing clause of patent claim 1. Additional characterizing features and advantages of the present invention till be set forth in the following description, reference being made to the enclosed draw¬ ings, which in more detail show a few not limiting, par¬ tially schematicly drawn embodiments : Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a set of packages, united by a carrying and/or uniting device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a planar view of a blank for a device accor¬ ding the invention, shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an alternative blank for a carrying and/or uni¬ ting device according to the invention in a planar view. Fig. 4 shows a process of stacking package rows, devices and troughs according to the invention being used; Fig. 5 shows an additional alternative blank for a carry¬ ing and/or uniting device accc ding to the invention in a planar view; and Fig. 6 shows an additional alternative blank for a carry¬ ing and/or uniting device according to the invention in a planar view. In the drawings the same or similar parts are through¬ out provided with the same reference numerals. However, a device 1 according to the invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereas a corresponding device 2 is shown in Fig. 3, 3 in Fig. 5 and 32 in Fig. 6. Mainly parallelepiped- shaped packages 4 are shown, which may have strongly con¬ vergent top surfaces 5, which along a central plane are joined to form a top flange or the like 6, which pro¬ jects vertically upwards. In accordance with the invention a set of e.g. four packa¬ ges are placed in a row, the top flanges forming a common continuous flange, to which a carrying and/or uniting de¬ vice 1 or 3 according to the invention is attached, pre¬ ferably glued. What these devices have in common is that their length correponds to the length of the row of pac¬ kages. They comprise a blank, which is mirror-symmetrical along a longitudinal center line 7 and has lateral outer fastening tapes 8, which by means of transverse perfora¬ tions or the like 9 are subdivided into sections 10, which correspond to the number of packages and their width in the longitudinal direction of the row. Said sections are limited towards the central line indirectly or directly by a tearing-off tape 11. Finally, there is in one 12 of the successive sections of the blank towards the center line one or several stamped holes 13. The center line it¬ self suitably is a perforation line, and consequently it is easy to fold the blank accurately, which is shown in Figs, land 4. Sections 12 and 14 respectively which are directly connected to the center line are suitably slight¬ ly rounded at their ends 15. In the blank according to Figs. 1 and 2 a longitudinal perforation line 16 is connected to fastening tapes 8 and passes through transverse perforations 9. In this way small longitudinal sections 17 are formed, which allow a folding and/or a tearing-off along line 16 or the inward¬ ly adjacent tearing-off tape 11, after which field 12 with hole 13 follows, which hole suitably is trapezoidal with rounded corners, the wide base suitably coinciding with the inwardly positioned longitudinal edge of tearing-off tape 11, whereas the trapezoidal top side coincides with a perforation line 18, which marks off section 12 from section 14 and constitutes a folding indication. Within hole 13 tongues 20 and/or 21 can, as an alternative to a complete material removal through stamping, remain, which are separated from each other by a stamping line 19, which runs parallel to the trapezoidal base and top respective¬ ly. A narrow and/or a wide flange can then be formed, which can be folded inwards or outwards in order to form a reinforcement for the carrying material around the hole and/or in order to function as a gluing tape to also main¬ tain the folded parts of the blank in the desired posi¬ tions. Where appropriate,and also generally in desired po¬ sitions, an adhesive glue layer can be used, which of course already has been applied to the blank, when the latter has been fastened to the packages. I is shown in Fig. 1, that the blank designed for the car¬ rying function has a rhomboidal opened shape, where it is easy to reach said hole. It is then possible, in order to make the device less bulky and/or for other reasons,to'fσld up the upper parts of the blank according to Fig. 4, which suitably is initiated mechanically, when one or several package rows, in a machine (not shown) designed to apply devices according to the invention, has been provided with said devices by means of a plunger 30 having a posi¬ tioning indication designed as a groove 31 in the lower side of the plunger, which is moved towards sections 14 and 12, which then or later will come in contact with each other or substantially so, the total height of the device being reduced. As an alternative said plunger or series of plungers can be used in connection with the stacking of the package rows, which is shown in Fig. 4. Thanks to such a compressing of the upright devices, which after the application in profile primarily have a long and narrow rhomboidal shape, a portion of the inner struc¬ turally elastic stress is removed and redistributed from the generally most strongly subjected area around the cen¬ ter line to the border line area between sections 12 and 14, a roughly rectangular profile shape according to the topmost row in Fig. 4 being obtained. By starting with such a partially stress-reduced shape with a redistribu¬ ted inner elasticity in the material, it is later easier and securer to stack layers of packages provided with the devices on top of each other according to the following description. It is also evident, that it is easy, in case this is de¬ sired, to detach an arbitrary number of packages by tea¬ ring these off jointly with flanges 10 and possibly 17 along perforations 9 and 16 or tearing-off tape 11, which latter consequently can be torn off only a certain dis¬ tance in order to detach one or several packages. The va¬ rious perforations and tearing-off tapes can of course be designed and function differently. The design shown in Fig. 3 is similar to the design shown in Fig. 2, but it comprises no wide sections 10 but only most in Fig. 4 and in which the devices easily and ergo- nomically accurately can be seized without having to straighten out the devices or treat them in any way. As is also shown in Fig. 4, the height of the devices is re¬ duced between the uppermost and the lowermost positions shown substantially by halves, practically no reduction in storage and transportation space taking place in com¬ parison with an array of such packages without devices according to the invention. Holes 13 are also designed in an ergonomically correct way and placed in the carrying function position of the devices. In the lowermost posi¬ tion in Fig. 4 convergent surfaces 28 of the trough can be placed at a small distance from the parallel top sur¬ faces 5, which preferably are parallel, on the underly¬ ing packages or a direct contact is also possible accor¬ ding to what is desirable. Fig. 5 shows one embodiment, in which along each longitu¬ dinal side 16"" * fastening fields 37, which preferably are positioned at a small distance from each other, are ar¬ ranged, which are separated from the adjacent material by perforations or the like 9"". Device 3 is designed to be applied on e.g. four packages, the sides of which are pro¬ vided with a continuous glue bead in those areas, which will be covered by said fastening field. The glue can then be heated or the like in order to adhere to the device and/or to set quickly. Other fastening processes can of course be used. Within the upper left corner area the device is provided with a small window 32, in which a "use before"-date or other marking can be brought out. For the rest the longitudinal perforations are designed to be used as folding indications. Instead of one conti¬ nuous handle opening two openings 13"" are used, which are placed at a distance from each other in the longitudi¬ nal direction. Fig. 6 shows a device 38, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 5, but it has a central roughly rhomboidally shaped opening 33, designed to facilitate the tearing-off of the device in the transverse direction and/or longitudinal di¬ rection. In the transverse direction tearing-off- indica¬ tions designed as arrows 35 and/or perforation cuts 34 can be used. All embodiments can be provided with recesses or windows 32,32"", which allow the observation of certain important pieces of information, e.g. a so called "to be used be- ■ fore"-date , set forth on the top flanges of the packa¬ ges or the like. The devices according to the present invention will pre¬ ferably be made of fiber board or corrugated cardboard with corrugation lines suitably running in the transverse direction. However, if in special cases other properties are very important, the corrugations may instead run in the longitudinal direction.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A carrying and/or uniting device (1;2;3;38) designed for a set of preferably mainly parallelepiped-shaped pack¬ ages (4) , which device is provided with outer fastening tapes (8) ,designed to fasten the device onto a package or a set of packages (4) , suitably by gluing, and which de¬ vice is subdivided into a plurality of longitudinal or ho¬ rizontal sections (12,14; 12",14";12"",14"") , which are se¬ parated from each other by means of folding indications, designed as perforations or the like and/or tearing-off- tapes or the like. (11,16 ,18;11",16",18";11"",16"" ,18"") , at least one of said sections being provided with one or several recesses (13; 13";13"") with a carrying function, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the applied device having a carrying function has a rhomboidal open shape, in which said recess (13;13";13"") is easily accessible, and in that the applied device, in order to make it less bulky and/ or for other reasons, can be folded on itself with its uppermost and central portions (12 ,14;12",14"; 12"",14"") , which are designed to, in their folded positions, closely abut each other, the total height of the device at the same time being reduced. 2. A carrying and/or uniting device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a set of e.g. four mainly parallelepiped-shaped packages (4) , which at the top have convergent top surfaces (5) , which along a central plane are united to obtain a top flange or the like (6) , are positioned in a row in such a way, that the top flan¬ ges form a common continuous flange, onto which a carry¬ ing and/or uniting device (1;2;3;38) is attached, prefe¬ rably glued, and in that this device has a length, which corresponds to the length of said package row. 3. A carrying and/or uniting device according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the device (1) con- off the sections (14) connected to the central line (7) from the respective following sections (12) and consists of a folding indication. 7. A carrying and/or uni.ting device according to any of claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said re¬ cesses (13) are obtained by a complete material stamping or a partial one, tongues (20 and/or 21 and 20" and/or 21" respectively) remaining, which are separated from each other by a stamping line (19;19") , which runs parallel to the base and top respectively of the trapezium, a narrow and/or a wide tongue, being formed, which is foldable in¬ wards or outwards in order to obtain a reinforcement of the carrying material around the recess and/or in order to function as a gluing tape in order to also maintain the folded up-portion of the blank in the desired posi¬ tion. 8. A carrying and/or uniting device according to any of claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that in the applied, folded up device the pointed edge areas between the upper and the central sections (12,14;12",14";12"", 14"") can be seized in order to pull the uppermost portion of the device upwards again to the opened up shape. 9. A carrying and/or uniting device according to any of claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that an arbi¬ trary number of packages can be detached from the device, since these packages will be torn off jointly with the sec¬ tions (10 and 17;17";37;37" respectively) along the perfo¬ rations (9,16;9",16";9"",16"") and/or the tearing-off tape (11;11";11"") , which consequently is designed to be torn off only a certain distance in order to set free one or se¬ veral packages (4) . 10. A trough (25) for a carrying and/or uniting device according to any of claims 1-9, -c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is applied to a set of packages in its folded up condition and can be introduced into the lower side (27) of a trough (25) having an upper recess (26) , which is e.g. a flat bottom designed to receive upper sets of packages and in that said trough (25) on its lower side (27) principal¬ ly is provided with convergent surfaces (28) , which suitab¬ ly correspond to the top surfaces (5) of the packages and within the top area upwardly convergent guide grooves (29), which correspond to the folded up condition of the device, the central section (12,14;12",14";12"",14"") of the de¬ vice being designed, when it has been introduced into a position between said convergent top surfaces (29) , to be further compressed.

Inventors: BJOERGE BJOERN, HANSEN FINN R, BJOERGE, BJOERN, HANSEN, FINN, R.
Applicants: BJOERGE BJOERN, DALWELL AB, HANSEN FINN R, BJOERGE, BJOERN, HANSEN, FINN, R.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65D71
IPC codes: B65D71